


Of Scrolls and Sleeping

by Allatariel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts, Post-Order of the Phoenix AU, Written Pre-Half-Blood Prince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:24:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6571492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allatariel/pseuds/Allatariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione are searching for meaning in the dead of night. Unconscious discoveries are made and sleepy misunderstandings delay others. In the end they owe it all to sleep, scrolls, and quills. My first foray into fan fiction, please read and (I hope) enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Move

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sappy, overwrought piece of flangst I wrote in the fall of 2003 just after _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ was published. Ah, those heady days when new Harry Potter was always on the horizon! Feeling a glimmer of that excitement again :)
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism always more than welcomed and so greatly appreciated! Any advice on tagging would be amazing.
> 
>  
> 
> _Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling, whom I could only hope to one day creatively emulate._

Ginny’s eyes raised slightly from the parchment she and Harry had been scouring. The four of them had been sitting at the table closest to the fire in the Gryffindor common room for hours poring over these ancient scrolls. Everyone else had headed off to bed before they even dared pull the scrolls out and spread them across the table between them. By now the fire burned very low in the hearth, almost embers, and the tapers Hermione had charmed to hang above them and illuminate their quest, like weak torches in the forest, were half spent.

Ginny’s eyes took in the top of her brother Ron’s head, resting lightly on the table directly across from her, cradled partially against his left shoulder. His left arm traced a crescent from the back of his head to a spot on the table just above where Hermione’s lay to his right. Just inches apart, her position was almost his mirror. Her forehead was almost precisely an inch from his mouth and his right arm rested gently across her back, the hand trapped under her head against her shoulder, hidden beneath her untamed chestnut hair. Their deep even breathing was the final brush stroke and Ginny's lips curled slightly in a faint sagacious smile. She marveled how sleep could even free the corporeal to their subconsciously tangible devotion.

Her attention moved to her right as she watched them, where Harry sat oblivious to the intimate sketch across from him. His arm was braced against an upper slat of the ladder back chair Ginny occupied just as Ron’s had been before he and Hermione had surrendered to unconsciousness. He leaned over the parchment, his eyes slowly sifting through the words. She thought about how the passing years had not diminished her affection for him, only increased and deepened it, despite her efforts to cover him in her heart with Michael. Replace him, she thought. No, no one could ever do that. She had only attempted to be practical, to place her attentions elsewhere, if not her heart, so as not to burden him. She knew it pained him to see anyone hurt and also that it was in his nature to blame himself for their pain. So when it was obvious that he fancied Cho Ginny had sought distraction and distance, she loved him too much to add her desires to the inferno hiding inside him. But circumstances had changed, Cho now gone from his heart and Michael from the crowded place in hers, to each other’s arms no less. Still he had shown no sign that he felt as she did.

Her face turned to his, she felt the pressure of his side against her shoulder, it was glorious, and she relished it for a moment. She watched him soak up the words, his right elbow on the table with his hand pressed against his forehead, causing his fringe to stick up from around it at unruly angles. Their faces were very close. He must have felt her soft breath on his cheek for he turned to look at her then. Mere inches away those emerald eyes stared right through to her soul. He closed his eyes. She couldn’t believe it—he was going to kiss her! In her excitement she closed the space between them, moving her lips to his, pouring all her heart and the soul he had just claimed with his green gaze into the kiss as though her very life depended upon it. She felt no response from Harry as he began to lean back away from her. She froze, close to horror; had she misread his intent? Then like a spooked doe she fled up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.


	2. Hindsight

Harry was stunned. He had looked up at Ginny, his eyes blurry from reading nonstop for hours. He had closed his eyes for a moment to clear them and refocus on her face, and before he had had a chance to open them again he had felt her lips on his, soft and warm and filled with more fire and tenderness than he had ever felt in his whole life. It had never once been like that with Cho, and somehow Harry knew it never could have been, but that didn’t at all bother him. He had felt Ginny reach in and gently brush aside the debris he never before realized was so deep and had uncovered beneath it all herself, already in his heart. Harry had never known such a blissful realization. But when he reached for her she was gone, his eyes opened to see her hair rustling and flashing like red maple in the fall sun, so beautiful, so natural, and so not supposed to be running away. He blinked in disbelief and she was gone, up the stairs to her dormitory. The farther and fainter her footsteps, the more his heart seemed to spring up through his chest and out his mouth, as if on a wire pulled more taught with each step.

Harry heard a faint shifting sound near him and turned to see Ron and Hermione half sprawled on the table, now fully in each other’s arms and still fully asleep. He watched as Ron’s sleeping lips brushed soft kisses on Hermione’s forehead, the forgotten scrolls strewn beneath them. He went and grabbed a pillow off the nearest couch and wedged it gently beneath their heads, while sliding the parchments out, so as not to disturb their sleep-permitted affections. They only nestled closer and smiled, still blissfully asleep. As he gathered the parchments together and slipped them back in his bag Harry hoped that they would finally admit a few things to each other when they eventually woke. It would certainly be good for them, and make the world a more livable place.

His thoughts immediately flew to Ginny, he would have followed her up there this minute and taken her in his arms to offer in kind all she had just given him and more, were it not for the alarms and that stone slide. He walked back to the couch and slumped on it, he couldn’t believe he’d been so slow, had someone transfigured his limbs to lead? He wished he could do it all over again, but this time he’d fold her in his arms without delay and give her his whole soul in one glorious kiss. All his triumphs and fears and joys and mistakes, all the days he had lived till now, all in offering, a promise to the future. But she was up there and he down here with no way to reach her. Harry wished not for the first time and certainly not the last that Sirius was still with them, he would have had some useful advice for certain. Harry sighed heavily and went to retrieve his bag from next to the table, then moved to the armchair closest to the girl’s dormitory stairs, dropping the bag beside it before slumping into it. He resolved to stay there till she reappeared, even if it weren’t until the morning. As his mind turned over again and again that perfect kiss, he also thought about how he would approach her and what he would say and do. And as the scenarios played out in his head he drifted off to sleep, his dreams with Ginny just a few stories up and just out of reach.


	3. A Lover’s Wings to Fly On

Hermione had dreamed of flying before. Not the clumsy cautious way she flew while awake, but like Ron did when he thought no one was looking, with intuitive skill and easy abandon. She knew he was truly happy in those precious few times that she had seen him soaring and swooping above her. She had felt an intimate connection with him in those moments. Hermione wished he could see her like this! That he would see her and know, truly understand that she felt just as he did in that moment. She was gliding up toward consciousness in the now all but black Gryffindor common room when she felt a gentle pressure against her lips. She returned the mellow pressure, becoming aware of the arms tightening optimistically around her. She savored the kiss, her arms pulling him closer. She had never thought how sweet his lips would be. She felt his lips leave hers just as she sensed the light touch of his hand cradle her left cheek. Hermione’s eyelids fluttered, like curtains blown open on a breeze, revealing his face before her. The tawny freckles splayed across the angles of his nose and his cheek bones, his flaming red hair, and those eyes…those eyes that threatened to draw out her heart and hold it forever. All dimly illuminated by the now dying fire.

"Oh Ron," she whispered out his name in a gentle rush.

He looked at her with such holy reverence she could do nothing to stop the tear that escaped the corner of her right eye. He moved to kiss the tear away. Her eyes slipped closed again at his approach and she let out a sigh when his warm lips lighted briefly on her cheek where the tear had clung. She pulled him into a fierce embrace and he responded with equal fervor. Ron and Hermione clung to each other for an endless moment, surrendering to the emotions that were spreading through them. When their grip loosened it was to look at each other again. His hands slid down her arms to take her hands in his between them. Something dark flashed across his eyes and he looked down at their hands, as if to study the fine lines and knuckles of her palms and fingers.

"Hermione," Ron started slowly, almost apologetically. "I woke up and found my arms were around you, I wanted to move but…" His voice faltered slightly, but then he looked up into her eyes, resolved to finish.

"I didn’t want to move, I just sat and watched your eyes darting under your eyelids, all I wanted to do was keep you there, feel your heart beating…to let you dream. But then I started kissing you…I, I’m sorry." he finished, with a twinge of guilt, but no regret.

Hermione raised her left hand to his face, her eyes full of love for him.

"Oh Ron," she sighed in faint exasperation, "do you want to know what I was dreaming?"

He nodded yes, her palm gently caressing his cheek where it still rested.

"I was dreaming that I was flying, not my usual cautious starts and stops, but smooth graceful gliding. And all I could think was, I wish Ron were here to share this with me."

Relief burst upon his features, and he smiled, reaching his hand to trace her hairline, stopping to smooth an unruly rich brown curl resting on her cheek. As he pushed it back among its siblings his hand slid under her ear, his fingers lacing through her hair to cradle the back of her head. Hermione leaned in to him. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to make something out very far off.

"I love you, you know," he added the last two words to give emphasis to those preceding it. Ron was more serious than she had ever seen him. Hermione could no longer hold in the tears that fell from her eyes.

"And I love you, Ron, with all my heart."

The kisses that followed were intense and tender, and far too few. They both wanted to stay there together all night, but reason and that morning’s potions class convinced them both to get what sleep they could manage in their dormitories. The last thing they saw before disappearing up the separate staircases was each other’s giddy grin.


	4. He Said

Ron stared contentedly at the deep red canopy covering his four-poster bed. He had tried to sleep, he honestly had, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about her. The soft press of her slender arms around him, the faint tickle of her warm breath on his neck, those were the first things he had sensed while still half asleep. When he had opened his eyes and found her face mere inches away it had taken his breath away. He remembered the feeling of her heart beating against the crook of his right arm wrapped around her back and the way her eyes had been moving rapidly beneath their lids. And her lips, he had gazed at her lips for what seemed like an eternity, memorizing their curves and lines, and the color! They were almost as red as the pillow their heads had rested upon. Ron shook his head slightly and sat up. Pillow, he thought, where did that pillow come from? They had fallen asleep at the table while poring over those dusty scrolls, come to think of it, what had happened to the scrolls? His eyes widened in shock, Harry and or Ginny must have placed the pillow there and put away the scrolls and then left them both there when they went to bed. He felt rather embarrassed at the thought of Harry and Ginny witnessing how he and Hermione had ended up in their sleep and hoped they hadn’t done ‘anything else’ while asleep. Ron sighed at that.

"Too late now," he whispered ruefully to himself.

Ron swung his legs off the bed and sat for a moment staring at Harry’s empty made up bed. He had not heard him leave and having not slept he would have noticed any movement in the room. Seamus, Neville and Dean were still sleeping. He slipped on his slippers and climbed down the steps into the common room. It looked empty from where he stood. The fire had been relit and burned quite brightly, he saw the pillow sitting on the table. Ron decided he wanted to take the pillow as a memento. He went to go pick it up and held it to his face breathing in, it smelled like her, like new books and sweet earth. As he lowered the pillow from his face he spotted Harry sprawled in the armchair by the stairs to the girls’ dormitory. He wondered for a second how he and Hermione had missed seeing him and then he realized that they wouldn’t have seen anything but each other last night even if it had hit them square in the face. He blushed slightly at the memory of her eyes watching his every movement until that ruddy wall had gotten in the way. He walked over to where Harry was sleeping and nudged his shoulder to wake him.

"Harry, what are you doing down here?" He asked. Harry shifted blearily his eyes fluttering and searching sightlessly.

"Waiting for Ginny, have to talk to Ginny, have to explain," he blurted, still struggling with consciousness.

"What do you have to tell Ginny, what happened Harry?" Ron asked in concern, bending over slightly to be closer to level with him.

Harry’s eyes snapped fully alert and he grasped the arms of the chair he was now slumped squarely in. As if on cue, Seamus and Dean came down the stairs closely followed by Neville. Both Harry’s and Ron’s heads snapped to look at them. Seamus and Dean walked over to a table at the far end of the common room, hardy noticing Harry and Ron except to say hello as they passed, both obviously too preoccupied to notice Ron in his pajamas and Harry’s sleep crumpled robes. But Neville stopped and looked at them.

"Is everything ok?" he inquired nervously. He knew when they were upset about something it usually involved extreme danger and heroic feats in planning, and it was simply too early, and not even before breakfast.

"Fine," Harry and Ron said in unison, "it’s nothing serious," Harry continued reassuringly.

"Oh good," Neville exhaled, relieved, "I’ll see you later, I’m meeting Luna before breakfast." He smiled and walked away and out of the common room.

"Why don’t we go up to the dormitory and talk about this," Harry offered "from the size of that," he pointed at a large love bite on Ron’s neck, just above his collar, "you have a story of your own." He smirked. Ron’s face went beet red.

"That’s probably best," Ron squeaked out, and turned to head upstairs.

Harry got up, grabbed his bag and followed him up the stairs. Halfway to the room Harry noticed the pillow clutched in Ron’s right hand and grinned.

"Hey Ron, what’s with the pillow?" Harry poked at him with the question. Ron whirled on the stairs, thrusting the fist holding the pillow between them like a dagger. He looked at Harry’s grin and instantly knew he had been the one to put it there last night.

"You should know, you gave it to us," Ron shot back. "And thanks, I’m sure our necks would have hurt much worse without it." Ron jabbed Harry with the pillow and turned to continue upstairs. They walked into the empty room and went to sit on their beds. Ron placed the pillow up on his other pillows at the head of his bead and turned to look at Harry who had flopped back on his bed after dropping his bag on the floor and was staring up at his canopy anxiously.

"So, ah, what happened?" Ron tried to restart the conversation. "What’s so important that you stayed all night down there to catch Ginny when she came down and tell her?" Ron asked, completely puzzled.

Harry sighed. "She kissed me, Ron," he said flatly and then sat up to look at him. "She kissed me and ran away, I did nothing and she was gone." Harry’s head dropped to stare at his open hands hanging in his lap.

Ron could see how deflated he was.

"Why didn’t you Harry?" He cautiously asked. He really didn’t want to have to punch his best friend, but if he’d hurt his sister…

"I don’t know!" Harry moaned, his hands balled up and beat the bed on either side of him as he slammed back down on to his back. "God knows I wanted to." He said as he brought a forearm up to rest across his forehead. He sighed and his arm slid away from his face as he pulled himself upright again.

"I guess I wasn’t fast enough, too groggy from all those words I’d been reading," he sighed.

"But Harry, that’s not the end of the world, she’ll understand. Honestly, all you need to do is tell her what happened." Ron reassured him, relieved that his closest friend had not just broken his sister’s heart.

"I know, I just can’t stand to think about what she’ll be going through until I get the chance to. I know she’s upset, she wouldn’t have run off like that unless she was on the brink of tears, but then if she hadn’t run off it wouldn’t be an issue. But if I’d just been faster and held onto her everything would be fine right now!"

Ron jumped up unnoticed during his tirade and stood over him.

"Slow down, mate!" He exclaimed, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder, to quell the flow of Harry’s self-reproach. "I’m sure Ginny will think of a way for you to make it up to her."

"Oh, I hadn’t thought about it that way." Harry said slyly, an unmistakable twinkle in his eye.

"Hey that’s my sister you’re thinking about there," Ron admonished him.

"I know, and a fine witch." Harry answered seriously.

"Harry, I want you to know there’s no one in the world I’d rather her be with than you." Ron stated earnestly looking him in the eye.

Harry nodded up at him and said, "Thanks, Ron."

Ron swallowed hard and turned away.

"Well, we should get dressed and head to breakfast." Ron awkwardly broke the heavy mood.

"Ron, you might want to do something about that ‘bruise’ on your neck." Harry smirked at him.

"Oh sod off, you git," Ron fired back, grinning. "I think I’ll wear it with pride, after all I earned it."

"How did that go, anyway," Harry asked, honestly interested. "It certainly looks like it went well, but I suppose she could have been trying to strangle you."

Ron looked quite far away for a moment. "It was brilliant," he told Harry distantly.

They continued getting ready, lost in their thoughts and then headed to the Great Hall for Breakfast.


	5. She Said

Hermione sighed contentedly, she had been drifting in and out of consciousness since coming to bed just a few hours ago. She had heard Lavender and Parvati get up and stumble around the room before heading downstairs not ten minutes ago. What had he done to her? Normally she would have already been in the common room preparing for the days classes, but all she could do was sigh and daydream about his lips on hers and his arms around her. She smiled to herself, part of her had honestly thought this day might never come, that Ron and she would be locked in that stalemate for the rest of their lives. She knew in her rational mind that all things change, but she had truly seen no end in sight, until…until she had been awakened last night by his kisses. She wanted to drift back off into a blissful dream of flying on a broom for two, but she knew she really should have been getting up.

She got out of bed and put her robes on, after which she began gathering up all the things she would need that day. Hermione looked into the bag, searching carefully for the essay she had written on ‘The Many Uses of the Jobberknoll and its Feathers’. She could find it nowhere and it was due first thing in Potions today! She thought back to when she had written it three nights ago. She had been at the table by the fire, right where she and Ron had been sitting last night, she thought with a smile. Must remember! She shook her head and refocused on herself sitting alone at the table (pity) writing the essay with her ‘Advanced Potions Making Techniques’ book open for reference. She remembered finishing just as Ginny had come over to ask for some other information in the book. She had stuck the essay in to mark her page and had forgotten it was there when a few minutes later Ginny had asked to borrow the book for a Potions essay of her own. Ginny still had it. Hermione sighed in relief. She just had to get the essay out of the book in Ginny’s room before she headed down to breakfast. And while she was there she could tell Ginny about what had happened last night. She slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried down to Ginny’s room so excited she was practically skipping down the steps.

She walked in to see all of the curtains open and every bed empty except for one. Hermione walked around the other side of Ginny’s bed to see if the curtains were drawn there as well. They were almost completely closed save for an inch or so of gap through which Hermione could see Crookshanks curled against Ginny’s stomach and could hear a catch in her otherwise steady breathing. Hermione placed her hand to the deep red curtain and pulled it aside slightly.

"Ginny?" She called in a low voice, "are you ok?"

Ginny sat up, allowing Hermione to see her tear streaked face.

"Ginny, what’s wrong, what happened?" Hermione exclaimed in concern, dropping her bag and throwing the curtain open to sit down, put her arms around Ginny and hold her to her chest.

Ginny’s arms were folded up against her chest, her hands curled slightly as the backs rested against her neck. She tried desperately to control her heaving breath before she burst out crying again. It took her a few moments but she did it, and then she pulled back a bit out of Hermione’s comforting arms.

"I kissed him, I kissed Harry," she started shakily. "I was looking at you and Ron, and how happy you were in each other’s arms and then I looked over at Harry next to me, so close, and so not close at the same time. I was thinking about how much I still loved him, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise. He looked up at me then and I swore he was about to kiss me when he closed his eyes…I was so excited I just did it, I kissed him."

"Ginny, isn’t that a good thing?" Hermione asked her slightly confused, "was it that bad?"

Ginny exhaled quickly as though struck and a short sharp shriek of laughter escaped her lips.

"Gods no!" she exclaimed, "It was perfect. He was perfect…until I noticed he wasn’t at all responding and I ran up here!"

She threw herself face first down onto the bed away from Hermione in embarrassment and despair. Crookshanks meowed in annoyance and took that as his cue to jump down off the bed on the other side under the curtain. Hermione leaned over a little and put her hand on Ginny’s back and rubbed it comfortingly.

"Ginny, I’m sure everything will be alright, I’m sure it’s just been some misunderstanding," Hermione attempted soothingly.""

"Misunderstanding," Ginny half screeched as she shot bolt upright and stared straight in front of herself shocked confusion all over her face. She snapped to look at Hermione. "How many ways can you interpret a deep kiss on the lips!" Ginny asked incredulously. "Has loving my brother somehow dulled your brain?" Ginny bit her lip at the shocked and hurt expression on Hermione’s face. "Oh, Hermione, I am so sorry," Ginny apologized in earnest, feeling very remorseful.

"No, Ginny, that’s alright, I see your point," Hermione said gulping down her pride.

"But Hermione," Ginny pressed. "I really wasn’t thinking, please forgive me."

"Ginny, I do forgive you, and I know you don’t mean it. I know you are hurting and under a lot of stress from this and you don’t want to be hushed like a child. I’m sorry for patronizing you. You deserve better from me."

"Hermione stop it," Ginny broke in, "you are just trying to help, and I was utterly childish for lashing out at you like that."

"How did it go with Ron, last night?" Ginny asked curiously changing the subject before Hermione could protest again.

Hermione blushed slightly and reached up to her collar, pulling it aside to expose the entirety of her collarbone. There nestled between the bone, her shoulder and her neck was a tiny bruise. Ginny stared at it in mock horror.

"My brother did that!" she exclaimed viciously. Hermione turned beet red.

"Well at least it’s hidden!" Hermione shot back, "I think Ron’s got one just above his collar here." She tapped her neck on the opposite side, about halfway up. 

"I’ll be sure to poke him about it later," Ginny informed her smirking.

"Oh Ginny, I’m so happy," she beamed.

Ginny couldn’t help but see the truth of it, she practically glowed. A shadow crossed Ginny’s face and she tried to push it away. With much effort she forced it back.

"I’m really happy for you both." Ginny managed, and while she really had meant the words, there was still sorrow behind them.

Hermione heard it there and pulled Ginny into a warm hug. She could hold it back no longer and with that Ginny heaved once before crying softly into Hermione’s shoulder. She felt terrible for not being able to fully be happy for her friend and her brother, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Harry’s silent rejection of her. Hermione rubbed her back slowly as the tremors subsided.

"I just hope we can still be friends," Ginny said as she sniffed back the last of her tears and pulled back to look her in the eye. "I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him completely."

"I can honestly say that I don’t think Harry would ever let happen," Hermione stated firmly. "He would probably still be friends with Cho if she hadn’t taken to bursting into tears at the sight of him." She sighed and rolled her eyes, then took Ginny’s hands and looked her in the eye, "You’re worth a hundred of her. Even if he doesn’t love you, I can tell you he knows that."

"That silly prat," Ginny’s voice shook slightly, "she never knew how good she had it."

They both sat for a moment in silence, Hermione staring concern at her and Ginny glassily studying their hands between them.

"Ginny, are you going to be ok?" Hermione broke the silence.

"I’ll be fine," Ginny smiled wanly up at her.

"Do you want to come down to breakfast?" Hermione asked gently, beginning to feel her stomach’s extreme protests.

"No, I don’t think so," Ginny replied. "I’m not hungry and I don’t think I am ready to see Harry yet."

"Well ok," Hermione responded, purposely not asking about her essay yet so she could use it as an excuse to come back for it later. "I’ll come and check on you before going to class."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled appreciatively as Hermione picked her bag up off the floor and turned to leave for the Great Hall. Ginny sat there for a moment staring at the floor, then turned and slumped down to the bed on her belly. Crookshanks hopped back up onto the bed purring ferociously and butted his head up against Ginny’s cheek. Ginny reached up her arm and hooked him down into her side onto the bed.


	6. Converse to Resolution

Hermione walked into the cacophonic din of a few hundred voices speaking all at once that was the Great Hall on any given day at mealtimes. She marveled at how anyone ever heard anything in here. Somehow the vaulted gothic arch above really did act as the perennial Halloween mask of open sky it hid behind and allowed the sound to disperse just enough. She shook her head slightly as she reached the foot of the Gryffindor Table and surveyed it for a familiar shock of brilliant red hair sticking up a bit above the other heads. She spotted Ron about half way down the length of the table sitting on the side closest to where she was standing, Harry sitting at his left on the far side from her.

As she approached them she could see their plates were only half full, but not from having been eaten already. Ron was reaching to grab another sausage. She also noticed they were surrounded by much younger students so must have just arrived within the last few minutes ahead of her and found nowhere else to sit. She saw that there was a seat next to Ron and smiled that he had thought to save it for her. She came up quietly behind him and put her arms around his neck, grinning down at him. He jumped slightly at the contact then his hands came up to hold hers as he turned his head slightly to the right and looked up at her smiling. Harry looked up at them, a small sad smile on his face as he thought automatically of Ginny. He pushed his plate a bit away, not at all hungry for the food that Ron had spent the last few minutes piling onto his plate ‘for his own good’. Hermione leaned over and kissed Ron briefly, trailing her left hand around his shoulders as she moved to sit next to him. A few of the younger students closer to them snickered quietly and pointed in their direction, Hermione and Ron only beamed brighter. She reached forward and grabbed a pasty to eat, took a bite, chewed and swallowed. The surrounding students that were still watching them lost interest right around ‘chew’ so she then turned to the two on her left, leaning close to and just in front of Ron so she could speak to both of them and not be overheard.

"Harry, what were you thinking? Ginny’s really upset," she asked reprovingly.

Harry’s hands balled into fists on the edge of the table and he leaned forward slightly over the table as though trying to fight off the urge to hit something. Hermione cringed slightly into Ron’s side and he put his arm reassuringly around her shoulders.

"He already knows she’s upset, Hermione," Ron sighed, "he just can’t do anything about it till he sees her."

At the last part Harry deflated to stare languidly at the edge of the table.

"Oh," escaped her lips near silently and her eyes went slightly wide as she realized the thing Harry was trying to keep from harming was himself.

Ron stared sadly at his plate for a moment before looking up and around at the little faces that had returned their attention to the three them.

"Uh, I think we should find somewhere else to talk about this," he said quietly to the two on either side of him while smiling at the students around them.

"Oh," Hermione broke out of her thoughts, "you’re right, Ron, we should."

Ron and Hermione got up, shouldered their bags and took each other’s hands. She turned, prepared to go while Ron nudged Harry’s arm and looked back at him expectantly. Harry stared up at them blankly for a moment, then reached for his bag, got up and followed them. They made their way past the other house tables and out into the entrance hall. Once well past the view of anyone inside the Great Hall Hermione looked around for Filch or anyone else. When she made sure no one was there, she hurried them across to an empty chamber in the far corner and ushered them inside before looking around one last time and closing the door. She turned around to find Ron there next to her, watching Harry lean against the shadowed corner opposite them, arms crossed over his chest and staring mutely at the floor. Hermione put a hand on Ron’s arm to draw his attention. She looked him in the eye, seeking some bit of insight from him, but he shrugged and gestured her towards the brooding figure in the corner. Feeling as though she were missing some vital piece of information she turned back toward Harry. She sighed, dropping her bag where she stood and walking over to put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. Ron crouched down by the door and placed his eye to the keyhole to keep a look out.

"Harry, it’s alright," she consoled him, "Ginny’s worried you won’t want to have anything to do with her now. Once you two talk you’ll be able to just be friends again and put this behind you."

"But, I don’t want to put it behind us," Harry rounded on Hermione and she backed away guardedly. "I want to have last night back so I can do it right this time! So I can kiss her and hold her and make her happy! Not let her run away crying because I’m too stupid to catch her before she’s gone!" He had advanced slightly on Hermione in the heat of his words, but upon finishing he retreated backwards to the corner chagrined.

"But Harry," Hermione started brightly, "this can be mended, she will forgive, for you she’d do anything."

"I can’t take away last night, though, and it kills me that she had to go through even a little pain over me." Harry lamented, face downcast, his arms hanging listlessly at his sides. "She deserves so much better."

Hermione moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands against his shoulders.

"Harry, look at me," Hermione said sternly and he did so before she continued, "We all deserve better than life usually hands us, you more so than any of us! But that doesn’t mean it’s all worthless, now you have the chance to make it up to her. She took the first move so now you can both be happy! Trust me I know." She smirked at that and her eyes twinkled puckishly. She could still see the shadow lingering just behind his eyes, but he smiled faintly and she could see him visibly relax to a degree. She patted his shoulder and dropped her arms to her sides, sighing quietly.

"We should really be getting to class," she said, calling their attention back to the feelings of impending doom that Double Potions with the Slytherins always inspired. They both moved over to stand next to Ron by the door. Hermione placed her hand on his back and leaned over to speak softly into his ear. "How’s it looking, is anyone out there?"

"Ok, all clear," he said after a brief pause. "Mrs. Norris just passed by." He got to his feet, threw his bag back on his shoulder and opened the door. Harry and Hermione hurried out followed quickly by Ron, closing the door behind them. They moved over to the stairs leading down to the dungeons, heading for Potions.

"Oh, I have to go get a book I left in the dormitory," Hermione said, halting their progression to the steps.

"I’ll go with you," Ron said smiling at her. "We’ll meet you in Snape’s dungeon, Harry."

"Ok," Harry replied, not too terribly excited about entering Double Potions with Slytherin and Snape without his friends, but he didn’t press the issue. Ron obviously wanted a moment alone with Hermione before being subjected to newt’s eyes and Malfoy’s taunts. If things were different he’d have probably sought out Ginny for a bit of ‘moral support’. Harry sighed and headed down into the dungeon as Ron and Hermione moved around and up the marble staircase to the upper floors.

When they were up past the second floor, Hermione reached for Ron’s hand.

"I missed you," she said softly, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she looked up at him sideways from beneath her lashes.

His mouth went quite dry and he gulped, his eyes never leaving her. He felt a warm sudden swell in the pit of his stomach. Gods she was beautiful, and she loved him, no one else, just him.

"I missed you, too," he told her, and he meant it, no matter how absurd it might have seemed to him yesterday to think that a few hours apart could make him miss someone.

He pulled her to a stop at that and drew her to him, putting his arms around her waist. She allowed both her arms to rest on his, her hands wrapped around the outside of his upper arms. They stared intently at each other for a moment, reading intimate things in the other’s eyes, and then they leaned in to a deep but brief kiss. They broke apart and their hands dropped together down each other’s arms, then they turned together and continued up the steps, hand in hand as before. They walked along in a contented silence for a while before Ron sighed heavily.

"I hope they work this out soon," He started in earnest, "I mean I know he’s the ‘brooding hero’ and all but this is ridiculous!"

Hermione’s eyes went wide at his words.

"Ron!" She exclaimed in shock and then softened, "sometimes he really is, even though he has every right. But you haven’t seen your sister today!" Hermione added, tones of concern mixing with a note of irony. "She is beside herself over this, worrying that Harry won’t even want to see her anymore, let alone be her friend. If she only knew what he’s going through…all they need to do is talk and it will work itself out."

"Really Hermione," Ron smirked at her, "talking has done us so very much good for the last few years."

She blushed furiously. When she regained her composure a second later she answered him. "Some things are far too big for words," she whispered, smiling up at him just as she had only minutes before.

Again his mouth went dry and again he couldn’t help swallowing hard as he stared at her staring at him from beneath her lashes. Honestly, he had barely noticed her lashes before last night and now…

"I never thought I’d hear you say that."

"Say what?" She inquired, her brow creased, quite puzzled.

"That anything was too much to be described," he began, his eyes downcast slightly, "especially anything to do with me. You’ve always had so many words for what you think of how I use my brain," He looked up at her at that, his eyes filled with so many things, not the least of which were an all encompassing love and an anxious pleading.

Understanding and soothing dawned on her face. And she stopped them, turning to face him and placing her free hand against his cheek. "No Ron, I have been the fool, and you have brought me to my senses. You have more insight than you know. Thank you for thinking when I forget myself."

His eyes filled with relief at her acknowledgement and he pulled her close in a tight embrace. She began to kiss his neck where her face nestled against it, slowly, sweetly at first and then with a touch more passion. Hermione felt his arms tighten instinctively around her and he bent slightly to trail a series of kisses down across her temple and the side of her face to her ear.

"If you insist on snogging like that at least do it inside so those wretched Slytherins can’t see you." They heard from a small ways off and jumped a fraction apart. They both whipped around in the direction of the voice to see the portrait of the large woman in a pink dress that covered the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, staring at them both with a mingled expression of concern, obligation and conspiratorial glee.

"What Slytherins!" Ron practically barked from just behind Hermione, still in shock. His arm tightened protectively around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"There’s a nest of fifth years just below, slithering their way up here to get to Divination," the Fat Lady told them matter-of-factly.

Hermione placed her hand over Ron’s on her stomach as she rested her temple against his cheek before she moved towards the Fat Lady, holding his hand as it slipped around her waist and off behind her, catching it with her opposite hand. 

"We should hurry up anyway," she chided him, half in jest, as she pulled him forward. "We’re going to be late as it is."

Ron rolled his eyes at her slightly as he had so many times before, but this time it was accompanied by a cherishing smile. They stepped up to the portrait. The Fat Lady smiled at them knowingly.

"May I just say that we are all so pleased you two have finally…reconciled your differences," She winked at that and they blushed, aghast, their jaws dropped slightly as their eyes popped. She answered their unasked question, "All the pictures have been talking about how happy they are for you since they saw you two last night in the common room."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other in self-conscious distress. 

"Oh and we do hope Harry and Ginny work things out as well, Ginny’s so upset and Harry’s just torturing himself over it, and all over such a little misunderstanding as sleep dulled reflexes and a far too hasty departure."

They blinked incredulously at her, still not believing she had said so much or that the schools canvas inhabitants all discussed them at such length. She continued to smile at them blithely as they heard the Slytherin fifth years reach the top of the stairs and head away from them down an adjoining corridor.

"Password," She intoned as if this was the first she’d opened her mouth since their arrival.

"Golden Apple," they both said unconsciously, still staring at her smiling face as the portrait swung open admitting them to the Gryffindor common room. They walked inside hand in hand still, looking quite dazed.

"That was a bit unnerving." Hermione whispered to Ron so as not to alert the watching eyes.

"Yeah, I suppose." He agreed, his expression still thoughtful, "But what else have they got to do hanging on the walls," and he grinned at her in such a way that she hardly cared what the portraits would say and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull herself up to his lips and kiss him deeply. He held her there for a moment and then they pulled apart rather reluctantly but aware they needed to get to class.

"I’ll just go and get my essay and we’ll be off," she told him and ran off up the stairs to the girl’s dormitories leaving him behind to wait.

She climbed the stairs to Ginny’s floor and walked into the room. Her curtains were still drawn on the side of the bed facing the door so she walked around to the other side which still hung open, just as Hermione had left it before heading down to breakfast. Ginny lay turned away from her, half flopped down on her belly with Crookshanks nestled into her far side beneath her arm. Hermione noticed her book on Ginny’s nightstand and flipped through it till she found her essay, which she took out. After placing the book back where she found it, she folded it carefully before she put it in her pocket. She then moved over to the bed and sat down, placing her hand on Ginny’s back.

"Ginny, how are you feeling?" She asked in curiosity and concern.

Ginny turned and looked up at her, slightly groggy.

"A bit better," she said as she rubbed her face with one hand while she held herself up off the bed with the other.

"That’s good," Hermione started and then thought for a moment before continuing. "Listen Ginny, Harry is worried sick over you," Ginny sat up on the edge of the bed next to her. "The way you ran off last night…he really wants to talk to you about what happened and make sure you don’t hate him."

"You mean he’s concerned about me and still wants to be friends?" Ginny asked, the closest thing to happiness since she’d run up here the night before settling on her face.

"Yes," Hermione responded smiling, leaving the full truth for the two of them to work out later. This was enough to draw her out from her misery. "Ginny, I’ve got to get to Potions before Snape births livestock and I’m in detention for a week, are you going to be ok now?" Hermione rubbed Ginny’s back with her palm a few times and Ginny smiled at her.

"Yes, I think I’ll head to my History of Magic class as soon as I get ready."

"Good, I’ll see you at lunch ok?" Hermione smiled back as Ginny nodded, then got up and made her way across the room to walk back downstairs.

As Ginny absentmindedly petted Crookshanks where he slept soundly next to her on the bed she sighed to herself. This was better than nothing right? Of course it was. She got up and changed into her robes, lost in thought. As she gathered her things for class she decided that she would skive off early from History of Magic and wait for Harry outside of Potions. It was easy enough to escape Professor Binns and she couldn’t bear for Harry to hurt over this for one more second than was completely necessary. Resolute in her course, she set off out of her dormitory.


	7. Render to Distraction

Harry found the dungeon mercifully empty upon his arrival and made his way to a seat at the back. He sat down and slumped forward over the desk, he couldn’t stop thinking about Ginny. His head was spinning with so many thoughts; foremost were her lips. He could close his eyes and immediately feel that wondrous kiss again, but just as quickly his mind would flash to her fleeing from him up the stairs.

Elbows propped on the desk, he braced his head with his hands as it began to spin out of control. He tried to calm himself. He would find Ginny at lunch and tell her everything he was feeling. He could only hope that she would forgive him faster than he had been able to move last night.

Harry wished he could go to her now, but angering Snape by skiving off class was not at all wise. Who knew what annoyances Snape would cook up? He grimaced at the thought of Professor Umbridge’s detentions and wondered if Snape could ever be nearly that cruel. Harry really didn’t want to find out.

He also had to admit to himself that he was more than a bit worried at this point that he might end up on the wrong side of Ginny’s temper. He remembered very vividly how she had hexed Malfoy in Umbridge’s office. He sighed, thinking that he would probably deserve it if she was angry with him, and the longer it took for him to find her and talk to her the worse it would be. Harry laughed out loud in the empty classroom at his line of thought. How many times had he faced Voldemort, twice with Ginny herself, and still the thought of Ginny Weasley angry worried him.

He was still smiling at the irony of the situation when he heard Malfoy’s voice approaching the entrance to the dungeon. Malfoy’s ever present drawl ceased and was quickly followed by the howling laughter of his usual entourage of Slytherins. A moment later he saw Malfoy enter the room, his face cracked in its customary sneer with the entire complement of the class’ Slytherins on his heels. Harry noticed Malfoy’s confused expression at Snape’s empty desk and watched as his eyes scanned the room slowly making their way to where Harry sat, locking with his own. His sneer spread to fill the entirety of his face.

"Well isn’t that interesting, Potter’s sitting all alone." Malfoy derided him, much to the enjoyment of his lackeys. "Have your friends deserted you, scar-head?" The room echoed with the contemptuous sound of Slytherin laughter.

Harry just stared daggers at him. Usually he would be full of retorts that would send Malfoy huffing to his seat, but not today. After last night it was all he could do to keep from slumping forward across the desk like a balloon that had just been untied.

Thankfully Dean, Seamus and the rest of the Gryffindors save Ron and Hermione arrived at that moment. Oblivious to what had just occurred they went to take seats between where Harry was sitting at the back of the room and where Malfoy and the Slytherins were standing near the front. The other Slytherins were already taking seats at the front when Malfoy glared triumphantly at Harry and turned on his heel to take a seat directly in front of Snape’s desk. Harry sighed, half in disgust with himself and half out of despondency, as he began to get everything set up for the class that should be starting any minute now.

Just then he heard the sound of running feet in the hall and he and everyone else in the room turned to see Ron and Hermione both gripping the doorframe and gasping for breath. Had Snape actually been there they would have just made it but still have been forced to endure his scrutiny and at least one snide comment. Ron glanced around the room looking for Snape and when he didn’t see him, he rested a hand on Hermione’s back to draw her attention and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. She giggled softly in response behind her hand, blushing faintly.

"Oi, look at that!" Malfoy started in wicked glee, "Weasley’s got himself a girlfriend and a mudblood at that! No respectable witch would have you, eh?"

Ron’s face distorted in rage as he jerked forward, but Hermione caught his arm, her wand at the ready.

"Scourgify!" She cried, aiming her wand at Malfoy’s mouth, and bubbles began oozing out around his lips.

His eyes went wide in horror. The Gryffindors erupted into uncontrollable laughter as Malfoy spat suds onto the floor. Ron smiled appreciatively at Hermione before turning his attention to Malfoy again.

"Better watch your mouth, Malfoy, I’m not sure what she’ll do next if you don’t! But I can guarantee you it would still be nothing compared to what I will do when I get my hands on you!" Ron shot at him menacingly. 

At that moment Snape hurried in looking quite preoccupied. He muttered something under his breath, flicked his wand behind him without glancing back and the door to the room closed abruptly and silently.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, take your seats." He snapped as he passed them and Ron and Hermione scurried nervously to the back of the room to take two of the seats on Harry’s right. Snape reached his desk and turned towards the class, not yet looking up.

"Take out your essays and place them on your desks," he said as he looked up and noticed Malfoy still foaming at the mouth. Without missing a beat he casually pointed his wand at him, "Finite Incantatem," he said in a low voice and then continued. "Mr. Malfoy, in the future please refrain from washing your face in my class unless it is completely necessary."

Malfoy turned quite red and began sputtering slightly while the rest of the class snickered quietly. Snape cocked one jet black eyebrow as he scanned the room.

"Did I say something that amuses you?" he asked, neither expecting nor wanting an answer, "I think not." At that they all fell silent. Snape raised his wand and flicked it towards his desk while saying, "Accio Essays." The essays flew across the room to Snape’s desk and he bent down to rifle them all together then placed them in a neat pile on the near left corner of his desk.

"But professor," Malfoy whined at him almost indignantly.

"I have neither the time nor the inclination at this moment, Mr. Malfoy. There is a class to teach." He snapped and then softened, "Please bring your concern to me at the end of the class."

Malfoy nodded smiling and turned to glare at Ron and Hermione, then Harry before returning to face the front of the room wearing a smugly satisfied expression. Snape was facing the board and using his wand to add ingredients to the list.

"Today we are going to continue our exploration of the uses of the Jobberknoll." He said while turning to face the class. "On the board are the ingredients for a simple truth serum, along with the instructions. Now there are only three ingredients, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of confidence." He paused to glare at Neville who squirmed sheepishly. "The procedure is quite complicated. This potion is the basis on which Veritaserum was developed, though that is far more complex in ingredients and formula. Correspondingly, this potion’s effects are, shall we say…less potent." He walked back to his desk, placing his wand upon it. "When drunk, it causes the drinker to answer the very next question, only the very next question, with complete and total sincerity and truth. The ingredients are already on your desks-begin."

At once the class began filling their cauldrons with the prescribed measure of leech juice. Snape ignored them and took his seat at the desk, reaching for the neat stack of essays to begin grading them with a red quill.

Harry looked around and saw everyone working, even Ron and Hermione had begun without a word to him. He sighed. It was probably Snape’s odd behavior and their close shave with Malfoy that had made them so preoccupied with paying attention. It had also not slipped Harry’s attention that Snape had not once even looked at him since entering the room. He decided that apart from maintaining Snape’s ‘good graces’, making this potion would also take his mind off of his real concerns for a while.

With effort, Harry focused on the task at hand and began measuring out the leech juice to pour into his cauldron. He coaxed the fire to life and watched the cauldron simmer. As it began to bubble slightly he watched the faintly yellowish milky liquid clarify and at the point of gentle boil go clear as water. Harry quickly grabbed the belladonna extract and glanced at the board to make sure he knew the shape. Very carefully he drizzled the brownish green liquid evenly in the reverse of the shape on the board, the rune for strength. He started near the top of the cauldron at a point slightly to the left and down, then moved in a diagonal up and right until almost touching the rim. Smoothly he traced straight down to almost the bottom where he turned at a 45 degree angle to continue diagonally up and to the right, mirroring in reverse the top half of the sigil.

Harry corked the belladonna and placed it on the table, not taking his eyes off the surface of the liquid until he heard a fizzling sound from the direction of Neville’s cauldron. He looked up to see pink steam rising from Neville’s potion.

"Mr. Longbottom, it says to make the rune for strength _in reverse_. You will have to start over. Thankfully for you this is the shortest part of the process." Snape drawled without even looking up from the essays he was still grading.

The Slytherins snickered, but Snape overlooked this as usual and within seconds everyone was back to their potions. Harry returned his attention to his cauldron and began to stir it counterclockwise as instructed, watching the brownish green rune he had just drawn swirl in the now clear leech juice.

Three thousand revolutions later (he knew because he had counted and that was how many it had said to make) it was time to add the Jobberknoll feather. He grasped the feather like a quill but reversed, with the tip pointing down, in his right hand. Harry moved it over the surface of the potion, in the shape of the Rune for truth, the tip gently touching but not breaking the surface. It looked like a capital ‘F’ with the two horizontal lines of equal length pointing down and to the right at 45 degree angles.

As soon as it was completed the rune glowed white hot and Harry drove the feather down through the center of the symbol, releasing it before his fingers touched the surface. He then let it simmer for another fifteen minutes, watching it closely, waiting for it to flash white again, at which point he extinguished the fire.

"Impressive, all of you seem to have completed the potion, even you, Mr. Longbottom. Bottle a small amount as usual and bring it to my desk before cleaning up."

Harry reached for an empty vial and ladled a bit into it, after which he labeled and corked it, then followed everyone else to place it on Snape’s desk. He had returned to his desk and had begun cleaning his tools and cauldron when he saw a familiar flash and rustle of red out of the corner of his eye. More than familiar, his mind had played over Ginny’s retreating form so many times since last night he felt he knew every curve and motion completely.

She walked up to Snape’s desk and handed him a note. He opened it with a mildly annoyed expression as he waved her out of the room. Harry watched her move toward the door wearing a very tired and sad expression. She glanced at him once and smiled weakly before hurrying out of the room. As Snape’s eyes scanned the note he came abruptly to his feet and headed for the door without preamble, absentmindedly saying something about class being dismissed before he exited hastily.

Parvati and Lavender exited quickly as soon as he was gone, followed very quickly by Neville and the rest of the Gryffindors in the middle of the room. Harry was still frozen in place when he saw Hermione grab Ron’s hand and, with a reassuring smile for Harry, pull him half protesting from the room. Harry hurried to the door, hardly noticing the sound of the grumbling and shifting Slytherins still at the front of the room.

He stopped dead in the doorway of the room. Ginny was standing not ten paces in front of him apparently waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted without thinking, not really caring why or how she had gotten there, only that she was there and she seemed not to hate him.

"Professor Dumbledore found me in the entrance hall upstairs and asked me to deliver an urgent message to Professor Snape," She answered, looking almost as though she’d been slapped. But she did not move, didn’t flee this time, it was as though she were rooted to the spot.

Harry crossed the distance between them in an instant, unable to bear the hurt he saw in her any longer. He wrapped his arms around her gingerly, holding her delicately as though she might snap.

"Ginny, I’m so sorry, I would never mean to hurt you," he whispered to her comfortingly, his voice full of regret as he stroked her hair.

She slowly reached her arms around his waist; she was beginning to feel that this was more than just an apology and her heart was racing.

"And what do we have here," Malfoy’s vicious voice cut through their intimate exchange, "Potter snogging in the halls, tisk tisk, I might just have to report you."

Harry whipped around, holding his arm protectively around Ginny’s shoulders. Malfoy’s eyes went wide at the sight of Ginny, who had until that moment been hidden almost completely behind Harry. He was no doubt concocting another Weasley related barb, when Ginny smirked disdainfully.

"If you think that was Snogging then I feel awfully bad for your girlfriend." She scoffed at him offhandedly.

Malfoy’s face began to redden, but neither she nor Harry noticed. At her words his eyes had begun to darken mischievously and his hands had settled on her waist. As he pulled her to him her hands came to rest on his upper arms and her face filled with confusion and barely suppressed hope.

"Ask that girlfriend for a quill, Malfoy, you might want to take notes," Harry said loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear.

The whole time his eyes were locked to Ginny’s, not able to look at or even think of anything else. Her arms reached up around his neck, daring to hope as he pulled her even closer, finally leaning down and giving her the kiss he wished he could have given last night. The kiss he had been planning all day, though his mind had not allowed him to focus on it for very long. Her arms tightened around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him, returning the kiss with equal passion and tenderness.

Somewhere near them yet beyond their awareness Malfoy began to sputter slightly, still looking as though his pale skin had been far too long in the sun. An unnaturally deep feminine cackle erupted from behind the knot of Slytherins still gathered in the doorway of the Potions dungeon. All eyes save Harry and Ginny’s, still oblivious to life continuing around them, snapped to center as the mass appeared to part for a small pale witch with almost black-red hair to pass between them. She had a quill poised saucily in her right hand and was flicking it slightly against her shoulder. Her other hand rested on her hip as she sauntered up to Malfoy with a wicked smirk gracing her delicate features.

"Here," she said with a rather thick Irish lilt, still holding the quill in her upturned palm level with her shoulder but pointing the tip at him, her piercing blue eyes laughing.

"What are you playing at, O’Lacey?" Malfoy shot at her, his face full of confused indignation and barely repressed anxiety at her proximity.

"It’s a quill, Malfoy," She told him smugly, thrusting it at him. "And please use it, for Pansy’s sake."

He took it from her automatically and she continued to laugh in that unearthly rumble as she continued past him, pausing for a moment to glance appreciatively at Harry and Ginny, still lost in each other, before continuing on her way.

"Maeve!" he practically whined after her as he ran, still blushing, to catch up with her.

All of the Slytherins burst into fits of laughter at that and followed them out of this secluded corner of the dungeon.

Harry and Ginny slowly, almost deliriously, pulled apart just enough to take in each other’s faces. Ginny smiled breathlessly up at Harry’s almost dizzy expression. She noticed his glasses were slightly steamed and sitting a bit off center on his nose. She blushed faintly as she took her hand from behind his neck to straighten them. Her eyes met with his ardent gaze again as she finished leveling his glasses and her hand fell to rest against his cheek.

"Gods, Harry, how I love you!" she breathed quietly, contentedly amazed that he returned at least some level of her overwhelming devotion.

He stared in wonder at her warm serene face, his mind reeling at the thought. Harry wasn’t sure he remembered ever hearing those words from anyone, but he knew somewhere deep down that he understood what they meant. He had been loved once, a very long time ago and it had left its mark on him. He pulled his hands slowly from her waist and raised them to take her hand gently from his face and hold it between them. He studied her palm and fingers briefly before bringing them to him lips and kissing them softly. Her eyes closed at the tender sensation, not knowing quite what to expect yet ready to accept anything. He lowered her hand to his heart and held it there with both of his own. Her eyes opened to find him gazing at her intently.

"Thank you…now I remember," he whispered to her, unable to suppress fully the tremor in his voice.

At once she began to fathom absolutely and completely what was in his thoughts at that moment. Ginny’s eyes filled with honest compassion as she stared into his hopeful yet wounded eyes. A single tear slipped freely down her cheek as she reached up with the hand not clasped to Harry’s chest and gently smoothed the hair on his forehead revealing the jagged scar that was both the sign of the only love he’d known before coming to Hogwarts and a painful reminder of his connection with the one who had given it to him. Her mind flicked briefly to her own torments at the hands of the Dark Lord. More tears escaped her eyes as her finger gently traced its path down Harry’s forehead. He was overcome with the depth of her feeling for him and quickly clutched her to him. To have her tell him she loved him so unabashedly and then to have her the very next moment empathically feel his years of pain, shedding tears of thorough comprehension…somewhere deep inside he knew.

"Ginny, I…I love you&hellp" He half gasped quietly, his lips brushing her ear sending flames through her body.

Her arms grasped his waist and pulled him close as she buried her head against his neck, feeling his warm skin against her temple and her tears soak into the neck of his robes. She could tell by the way he shook slightly that he was crying as well, his face nestled in her hair, collecting his tears. They continued to hold each other in silence, till the tremors subsided. She nuzzled her face on his shoulder for comfort and to dry her eyes before pulling back to look at him. His face was streaked with tear tracks of fine salt, an expression of mingled apology and muted longing across his features.

"I’m sorry Gin—" He began to whisper but she raised a hand to his lips, hushing him before he could finish.

"Why should you have to bear it all alone?" She asked gently squinting slightly, as if willing him to see the truth of it.

He stared at her, letting her sweet and singular gift wash over him almost in disbelief. But he knew somehow that she was really the only one who could offer him this and know what it truly meant. Hers was not only a promise of support but a pledge of her life, to fight to the end if necessary. It was not only for him; Ginny’s own nightmares of the past demanded it.

As he absorbed the depth of her commitment, she gently brushed the remnants of the tears from his face, her fingers slipped to rest along his jaw just next to his chin. She leaned her head up and sealed this pact with a wholly passionate and deceptively fleeting kiss. Their lips parted almost reverently, their eyes still closed unwilling to open and take in the hall outside of the potions dungeon and the call of lunch in the Great Hall. When their eyes did open it was to take in every curve and line of this moment and to lock it away in their hearts before returning from the reality of life outside the sanctuary of Hogwarts.

Ginny smiled up at him, mirth now filling her eyes.

"We should probably head up to the Great Hall before my brother comes looking for your head," she half laughed, still hugging Harry tightly about the waist.

"We’ve already dealt with that, Ginny," he started teasingly, leaning in closer to tickle the next words against the soft spot below her ear and behind her jaw, "I have his blessing."

"Harry!" She gasped, squeezing her ear against her shoulder as the tingle stretched down her spine, forcing him back before her where she could look him in the eye.

"Saying it and seeing it are two very different things," she jokingly chided him, and then mused, "one out of six certainly is a start, though." As Harry’s face fell in mock distress, she said, But I don’t care what any of them think.

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes enticingly. And before he could seize her with more urgent kisses she pulled away grabbing his hand, continuing to look at him impishly.

"Come on Harry, I’m getting hungry, aren’t you?" And she pulled him half protesting through the maze of the dungeon.

**Author's Note:**

> _I originally published this on the Sink into Your Eyes archive on November 3, 2003, and then again on the Astronomy Tower archive on November 30, 2003._


End file.
